How does Amazon Bedrock manage model updates or new versions of models (for instance, if a provider releases a new model version)?

Amazon Bedrock manages model updates and new versions by allowing model providers to release updates through the service while giving developers control over when to adopt them. When a provider releases a new version of a model—such as an improved language model or a fine-tuned variant—Bedrock makes it available as a separate model identifier within the service. Developers can choose to migrate their applications to the new version by updating their API calls to reference the new model ID. Bedrock maintains backward compatibility, ensuring that existing integrations continue to work with the previous model version unless explicitly changed. For example, if Anthropic releases Claude 3, Bedrock would list it as a distinct model (e.g., anthropic.claude-3), while the older Claude 2 model remains accessible under its original identifier.

To help developers manage transitions, Bedrock provides versioning details in its documentation and API responses, along with deprecation timelines for older models. Providers typically give advance notice before retiring a model version, allowing teams to test and migrate at their own pace. For instance, if a critical security patch or performance improvement is added to a model, developers can evaluate the new version in a staging environment before updating production workflows. Bedrock also offers monitoring tools to compare metrics like latency or accuracy between versions, ensuring updates meet application requirements. This approach avoids forced upgrades, reducing the risk of disruptions.

For developers using fine-tuned or customized models, Bedrock decouples customizations from base model updates. If a provider updates the base model (e.g., Stability AI releases a new Stable Diffusion version), existing custom models built on the older base version remain unchanged. Developers can choose to create a new customization using the updated base model if needed. Additionally, Bedrock’s API abstraction layer ensures consistent endpoints and authentication methods, so version changes don’t require rearchitecting integrations. For example, switching from amazon.titan-text-lite-v1 to v2 might only involve updating the model ID parameter in API calls, leaving the rest of the code intact. This balance of flexibility and stability lets teams adopt improvements without sacrificing reliability.